1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to user preference setting schemes usable in devices with integrated multiple functional modalities, which devices can operate, for example, with a host of video sources. More particularly, the present invention is drawn to a user preference setting scheme operable with a convergence device system having a Digital Versatile/Video Disc (DVD) source.
2. Description of Related Art
Achieving convergence of various information, entertainment and communications technologies has become a much sought-after goal. A highly visible example of this trend is the attempt to integrate computer technologies (such as, for example, personal computer technologies) with consumer/home electronics technologies (such as, for example, television technologies, video game technologies, video telephony, video/laser disc technologies, et cetera). It is hoped that one of the products of this convergence will be a single integrated device for information, entertainment and communications, which device can, at least in part, utilize the available communications bandwidth, mass storage and graphics handling capabilities of the personal computer (PC) to deliver, store and display a variety of applications so as to provide a seamlessly unified audio-visual environment to consumers.
In spite of many recent advances in this area, several problems persist. One of the more significant problems is the difficulty of providing to a consumer (alternatively, a user or viewer) means for effective content control and engaging interactivity, preferably all in one machine, with the option of selectable content customization. It can be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art that the need to address and obviate this problem is especially pronounced in cases wherein currently available advanced storage technologies such as, for example, the Digital Versatile/Video Disc (DVD) technology, are integrated with a highly converged device that offers multiple modes of "functionalities." In simple terms, there are so many factors involved that providing easy, but effective, control is difficult in highly converged devices. A commonly-owned, pending U.S. patent application entitled "DEVICE WITH CONVERGED FUNCTIONALITY", filed Mar. 31, 1997 (Docket No. 27757-00098; inventors: Mark P. Vaughan, Thomas J. Brase, Drew S. Johnson, Kevin J. Brusky, and Brian V. Belmont) describes subject matter related to such a highly converged device in greater detail and is incorporated herein by reference.
Because the teachings of the present invention are exemplified in relation to various aspects of DVD technology, particularly when integrated with a convergence device, a brief description thereof is deemed appropriate and is provided immediately hereinbelow.
The DVD technology is an advanced, digital storage technology for video, audio, data, and any combination thereof, and is centered around a new medium (a laser-readable disc) capable of storing up to about 17 Gigabytes of information. As is known in the art, the copious amount of digital information is provided on the disc in accordance with a standardized format. Analogous to current consumer electronics formats, it is useful to visualize the DVD format technology as a total system that comprises a mastering facility, a physical storage/distribution medium (the disc itself) and a player. The mastering process may typically comprise several steps which include inserting various codes for controlling the presentation of video/audio information (also known as content); compressing the raw video information into a known format (for example, the Motion Picture Experts Group--2, or, MPEG-2, format) using a process called variable bit rate encoding; compressing the audio information also into a known format such as, for example, the Dolby.RTM. AC3 Surround Sound format; and combining the compressed audio and video information into a single, encoded data stream for producing a "master" and generating copies (i.e., laser-readable discs) therefrom.
FIG. 1 depicts a block diagram of a typical DVD mastering system 100 for effectuating some of the steps described above. Inputs from a master video tape 102 and a master audio tape 104 are provided to a variable bit rate (VBR) encoder 106 and a suitable audio encoder 108, respectively. The encoders 106 and 108, in turn, are managed via content/quality control block 110 so as to provide compressed and encoded video and audio to a multiplexer/formatter 112 for generating a combined audio/video data stream. An emulator 114 is provided to simulate the playback of the data stream. A master disc 116 is then created using the "image" of the DVD data steam which may have been written to a data tape beforehand. Using replicators, a content provider may mass-produce DVD discs for market consumption by "pressing" the master 116.
The digital information on a DVD disc is organized in a well-known hierarchical file structure which allows not only a plethora of desirable features such as, for example, multiple aspect ratios, multiple language tracks and subtitles, multiple camera angles, and rudimentary forms of parental control, but also a presentation technique for allowing and facilitating user interactivity via an overlaid graphics tool, called an on-screen display (OSD) tool.
FIG. 2 depicts the block diagram of a typical DVD player 200 for the playback of a DVD disc 202. A disc reader mechanism is provided with the player 200, which mechanism comprises a motor 204 for spinning the disc 202 and a laser 206 that reads the digital information therefrom. Typically, the laser 206 is operable in the "red" portion of the visible light spectrum. A DVD-compliant digital signal processor (DSP) 208 is provided in a feedback arrangement with the disc reader mechanism for translating the laser pulses generated from the laser 206 back into electrical form.
At the heart of the player 200 is a digital audio/video (AV) decoder 210 that receives electrical signals from the DSP 208 for further processing. The AV decoder 210 comprises several important functional blocks which act on the received electrical signals at various stages of processing. The composite signal information is initially separated by a demultiplexer 212 which provides video content stream to a video decoder 214, compressed bitmaps to a subpicture processor 216, and audio content stream to an appropriate audio decoder 218. The subpicture processor 216 provides the processed subpicture information to an OSD graphics tool 220. A video multiplexer 222 controllably presents the decoded video information from the video decoder 214 and the output from the OSD graphics tool 220 to an appropriate TV signal encoder 224 (compliant with, for example, the National Television Standards Committee (NTSC) signal format, or the Phase Alternate Line (PAL) signal format), which then provides a suitable TV signal to a TV (not shown) for playback. The decoded audio information from the audio decoder 218 may be provided to an appropriate audio system which may or may not be integrated with the TV. A microcontroller 226 is provided as part of the DVD player 200 for supervising the operation thereof. As can be readily seen, the microcontroller 226 may be engaged by the user via a remote control or front panel 228 for translating user inputs into commands for the audio/video decoder 210 and/or the disc reading mechanism of the player 200.
It can be appreciated that the DVD technology comprising the DVD discs and suitable players therefor provides significant advances over conventional media for content presentation to viewers. However, it is also known that while the DVD mastering standards have been extant for some time, the content providers who typically supply the DVD-compliant content in the form of "titles" substantially control the various available presentation settings for a particular title. It can be readily recognized that viewers who may desire to change some or all of the available settings for a particular title in order to customize the content presentation to suit their different needs and tastes may have to be provided with a mechanism for doing so in a user-friendly manner. Further, it should be apparent that the need for such mechanism is especially pronounced in a convergence device.
In addition, although DVD technology offers a wide-ranging menu of choices and options to viewers, in some instances it may be considered rather deficient. For example, it would be highly desirable to be able to view, and perhaps change, the preferences that a user has selected for a particular title during the playback thereof without interrupting it. Current implementations of DVD technology typically require that the playback of the title be stopped prior to interacting with a set-up menu provided with the OSD in order to alter the user preferences.
Moreover, it can be appreciated that it would be of further advantage if the viewer can readily ascertain the rating level of the title and what other rating levels may be available therefor during its playback. In a typical current implementation of a DVD player, no indication is provided to the viewer about what the rating level is currently in effect during the playback. Accordingly, the viewer is then forced to rely on the content provider's menus to the extent they may exist. Furthermore, where these menus are provided, they may be different for each content provider, thereby requiring the viewer to quickly interpret the variable ratings in some coherent fashion that makes an intuitive sense to the viewer, before an appropriate action is taken.
Therefore, based on the foregoing, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that there is a need for a solution that addresses these shortcomings in current implementations of DVD technology. Although several DVD systems presently exist, no current system is known to have all of the advantages and novel features of the present invention, described and claimed hereinbelow, which advantageously provides a system and method for overcoming the above-mentioned deficiencies.